S. Korean footballer Hwang Ui-jo gets suspended jail term in sex-video scandal

SEOUL - South Korean international footballer Hwang Ui-jo on Friday received a suspended jail term for filming sexual encounters with women without their consent, the country's Yonhap news agency said.

The 32-year-old former Premier League forward pleaded guilty in court in October.

He said in a prepared statement to the judge at the time: "I offer my sincerest apologies to the victims who have suffered because of my wrongdoings. I sincerely plead for the utmost leniency."

Hwang, who was with Nottingham Forest but now plays for Turkish club Alanyaspor, had initially claimed he was innocent before admitting the offences in court.

The scandal came to light when Hwang's sister-in-law posted private explicit videos of Hwang in an attempt to blackmail him in June 2023. She is now serving three years in prison for blackmail.

Prosecutors had asked the court for a four-year jail term for Hwang when they made their closing arguments in the case in October.

The court Friday noted Hwang's acknowledgement of his wrongdoing and his remorse in handing him a suspended sentence, according to Yonhap.

The fact that a third party distributed the footage on social media without his involvement was also taken into account, the news agency said.

Hwang had been charged with illegally filming sex without his partners' consent on four occasions between June and September 2022.

Two victims were initially named, but Hwang was convicted on charges related to only one, Yonhap said.

Hwang, who has featured more than 60 times for South Korea and now plays for Alanyaspor, had initially claimed he was innocent before admitting the offences in court.

He last played for his country in 2023 and local reports suggest he may now no longer be able to do so because of his conviction.

The Korea Football Association's regulations state that a member can be expelled for committing sexual offences.

South Korea has battled an epidemic of "molka", or spycams -- illicitly filmed videos that include everything from women in public restrooms to leaked sex videos from K-pop stars.

Goo Hara, a former member of girl group Kara, killed herself in 2019 after being blackmailed over "revenge porn" by an ex-boyfriend.

Former K-pop singer Jung Joon-young last year completed a five-year term for gang rape and illicit filming in one of South Korea's high profile spycam scandals. - Claire Lee / AFP